Out of her Head: The Outtakes
by 1Blue25
Summary: These are companion chapters to my story "Out of her Head." They don't fit in with the flow of the story, so I'm posting them separately. Read "Out of her Head" first, then come and visit these chaps. AU-Human
1. Felix

**A/N: These chapters are outtakes from my story **_**Out of her Head**_**. If you haven't read that story yet, these probably won't make sense. Go read it, and then come back.**

**These first three chapters are Bella's dates from chapter 12. I wrote these just for fun. They're all told from Bella's POV. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

Felix, as expected, had called me last night and without any small talk, invited me to dinner. We spent ten minutes discussing where to go before he told me to just "pick a place already." I chose a restaurant that Alice had mentioned once that was just down the street from my apartment, fairly casual and not too expensive.

He had also insisted that we meet at the restaurant, which was fine by me. That gave us less time to suffer through any lulls in the conversation.

I stood just inside the door of the small Italian restaurant, watching the traffic go by and guessing which car was his when a white truck pulled up. Felix hopped out, waved to the driver and walked up to the door.

I hoped the shock didn't show on my face. His face lit up when he saw me standing in the lobby, and hurried over to greet me.

"You look really nice, Bella."

My plain white sweater and black slacks were nothing special. That's kind of how I felt about the entire date.

"Thanks. You do too." He wore the same tie he'd worn to school that day: it was blue with diagrams of various physics lab instruments and power words like "Collision," "Atom," and "Energy."

"Um, did your friend just drop you off?" I was curious. Who got dropped off for a date unless they were 15 and couldn't drive?

"Yeah, my bike's in the shop. Don't worry though – he'll come back and pick me up when we're done here." Ok, so he got points for being sweet. I hadn't pegged him as the Harley Davidson type though.

"You drive a motorcycle?" I asked once we'd been seated and handed menus. Felix had hidden depths after all. Maybe Alice was actually right about this guy.

"No, it's a Schwinn."

I was speechless. I had no words. Don't get me wrong – many thoughts flew through my brain at lightning speed, but the link between my head and my tongue was momentarily broken.

Felix laughed.

Ok, good, maybe repulsion wasn't one of the expressions that crossed my face after all.

"It's an electric bike. Much more economical than a car."

"Oh, that's very interesting." Liar, I was such a liar. "Um, have you decided what you want for dinner?"

Good, good work Bella. Change the topic before you start laughing at him. That would be mean, and you're not mean.

Felix perused the menu quickly then folded it and placed it neatly back onto the table.

"I'll just have whatever you're having."

Was that normal? He didn't even know what I was going to order. How did he know that he would like it too?

"Oh, well, the chicken looks good."

Felix stared at me in silence. Ok, maybe he didn't like chicken.

"Or the meatloaf. I've heard good things about their meatloaf."

Now Felix looked bored. Crap – was this some sort of test? If so, I was failing miserably.

"I like shrimp scampi," I tried, hopefully. This was worse than playing Jeopardy.

He finally nodded his head and I sighed in relief. I hope he didn't mind garlic breath.

Not that I was going to kiss him or anything. Definitely not. Probably not. Oh, God, would Alice expect me to kiss him too?

Our server finally came over and took our orders, which I placed for the both of us, which seemed backward. I'd seen a movie one time where the man did that, ordering for both himself and his date. Wasn't that more appropriate?

Way to be a feminist, Bella.

Now that our menus were gone, my hands and eyes were left idle. What should I do now? I reached towards my fork and knife, but that would be an obvious nervous maneuver. Felix is smart; he would pick up on that.

I settled for thrumming my fingers on the table and looking at the artwork on the walls. The painting closest to our table was the same as one I'd seen in that bar across town that Jasper had dragged us to. The ferris wheel on Navy Pier at night. I'm no art expert, but it didn't seem to be executed that well.

I finally looked at Felix, and he seemed nervous too. What do we do now? I couldn't go back to Alice and report that we'd talked about nothing all night. She would be upset and just force me on him again. Poor guy. I decided to get the ball rolling.

"So, Felix, how long have you lived in Bear Lake?"

"Ten years."

"And how long have you taught physics?"

"Fifteen years."

"Where did you teach before?"

"At a school down in Peoria."

This was like pulling teeth.

"Do you like teaching?"

"Yes."

More table thrumming. I looked around at the other diners. All of them seemed to have things to talk about with each other. This hadn't been so hard yesterday at lunch. Maybe because Edward had been there too.

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"I rarely go to the movies. They're too expensive."

"Matinees are usually cheaper. What was the last movie you saw?"

"_Lord of the Rings_."

"Oh, so it has been a while for you then."

"Yes."

Thankfully, our server came with our soups. Thirty seconds later, I was mad at myself for choosing the soup over a salad. Felix was a slurper.

I'm not one to judge people on their table manners, but I think there's a bare minimum required for social situations. Slurping was at the top of my list.

And it was loud too. I kept looking around, convinced that the entire restaurant could hear him and were staring in our direction.

Fortunately, Felix eats fast. Or in this case, slurps fast. I wonder if he's ever timed himself.

And we were back to staring at one another. What could we possibly have in common?

"What do you like to do for fun?" I was hoping he would say read, or hiking, or at the very least online gaming with his friends. Any one of those would be semi-normal.

His eyes finally lit up for the first time. My expectations were high.

"I collect old coins."

Great. What did that even mean?

"Like old pennies and stuff?"

"Those really aren't all that valuable. My specialty is Confederate coins…" he droned on for a while after that, but I stopped listening after he said "specialty." Call me a snob, but coin collecting wasn't interesting.

I gave up after that. I pretended to look interested as his vocal chords finally warmed up on the topics of coins, raptors, and finally the Blackhawks. Which was probably the most interesting part of the conversation all night. I knew nothing about hockey, but it seemed more normal than his other interests.

The dinner itself was dry and rubbery.

Felix suggested desert, but I couldn't take anymore.

When the check came, I sat and stared at it. What do I do now? He asked me out, so he's going to pay, right? Should I at least offer? Why is this so hard?

I reached for my purse to bring out my wallet. Maybe that would spur him into action.

He picked up the check as I pulled my wallet out and seemed to be adding it up in his head.

"Um…how much do I owe?" I knew the exact price of my meal: $14.49. But I didn't know what else to say.

"Oh." Felix looked around the table in confusion. Was he just noticing that I was still there? Did his dates usually leave before this part of the evening arrived?

"Don't worry about it. I won't make you pay for such a small meal."

Thank you, Felix, from the bottom of my heart. Your generosity knows no limits. I will write of your great deeds so that future generations will know of your altruism.

"Thanks," I said, instead. Sarcasm could only get me so far in this world. Sometimes it was best just to keep it simple. I don't think he would have gotten it anyway.

We walked out together, and I looked around the parking lot for his friend. I felt bad leaving him in the parking lot, but I didn't have it in me to offer him a ride home.

"So, your friend will be here soon to pick you up?" I wasn't completely heartless.

"Yes. He lives just around the corner."

"Ok. Well, thanks again for dinner Felix. I'll, uh, see you at school tomorrow."

Please don't ask me out again. Please don't ask me out again.

He leaned in to hug me goodbye, which was completely preferable.

"So, do you want to go see a movie this weekend?"

Damn.

"Um, I thought you didn't go to movies." Think, Bella, think. What can you do to get out of this?

"You did say that matinees were cheaper, so that wouldn't be so bad. I'll even let you pick the movie."

He was nice, but wishy-washy. We had nothing in common. There was no reason to go out with him again. Alice didn't tell me what to do if this happened.

"Felix, you seem really nice but I don't think we have anything in common."

Was that the right thing to say? Was I making the wrong decision here? I could go out with him again, and maybe even again after that, but what if he tried to kiss me or even more? I just didn't feel that way about him.

He turned bright red and turned away. Please don't cry. I hate to see a man cry.

"Ok. Well, see you later Bella."

He walked away quickly, towards the rear parking lot.

Oh, God, that was the most uncomfortable moment ever in my entire life.

I hoped I didn't have to do that again. Ever.

**A/N: Awkward…..so very awkward. As always, reviews are appreciated! Benjamin is up next…**


	2. Benjamin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

Benjamin, call me Ben, was cute. He was funny. Ben drove a Jeep so tall that he had to lift me up into it.

Ben had convinced me to go for a drink with him. I was nervous, but Alice shooed me out of the bowling alley, and it was hard to say no to Ben. I wasn't sure that I could say no to him anyway.

As he drove us to the "little bar where he used to work," we chatted and joked about almost everything and nothing at all. He was so easy to be around. This wasn't like the date with Felix where I'd felt self-conscious the entire time. This was the way a date was supposed to go.

He pulled off the main highway and down one of the smaller roads that I'd yet to explore. I hadn't actually been to this area of town yet, but it didn't look like it was the best part of town. Most of the homes we passed had chain-link fences around the back yard, some with broken-down and rusty cars up on cinder blocks, others with mean-looking dogs that barked at the Jeep as it rolled past.

We finally reached a small strip-mall that was next door to a gas station/all-night convenience store. At one end of the mall was a Chinese restaurant and at the other was the bar we were presumably headed towards. "One-eyed Jacks" the sign read.

Ben parked the Jeep, and he was such a gentleman. He jogged around to the passenger side to help me down again. I ignored his hand when it grazed my right boob. I'm sure it was an accident.

We walked across the parking lot together, and I felt like we were actually _together_. He'd placed his right hand on the small of my back and I did my best not to crow in triumph. Ben must really like me. I flashed him a brilliant smile, he looked down at me and smiled back. Ben was a pretty tall guy, almost as tall as Emmett Cullen. He had short, straight black hair and brown eyes. His teeth, the same ones that had glowed in the black light of the bowling alley, were straight and looked pretty healthy. Not that I was sizing him up like a horse, it was just something I noticed.

He nodded to several people standing out in the chilly October air, puffing on their cigarettes, before he pulled open the door and escorted me in. It was loud inside the bar. They had the music up at full blast, and there were a lot of people inside which increased the noise level that much more.

Somehow, through the noise of the crowd, I was able to hear several people shout out, "Ben!" as we entered, a la Norm from _Cheers_. I guess he wasn't kidding about being an ex-employee, but he didn't warn me about how universally loved he seemed to be.

Ben was welcomed into the bar like a returning hero. I wouldn't have been surprised had they hoisted him onto their shoulders and paraded him around the room. Several men came over and punched him hard on the arm, and I saw more than one woman give him the up and down.

He spent several minutes talking to the men who'd raced over, which gave me plenty of time to look around the room. It seemed to be a typical bar; only this one had a small dance floor set up in the middle of the room. Several couples were making use of it and one couple was making out while they danced slowly to the quick-paced beat. I snorted and turned my head away. I doubted they would last much longer without trying to take each other's clothes off.

Ben finally finished shooting the breeze, grabbed my hand and found us some seats at the bar. He knew the bartender, which wasn't a surprise. I couldn't hear what they were saying to one another over the noise, and Ben had leaned in close to talk to him anyway.

At least I didn't have to worry about making awkward conversation tonight.

Ben placed a small glass on the bar in front of me and I stared at it. It had some dark-looking liquid in it.

I looked at him, and he had already swallowed his and was waiting for a second.

"What is this?" I shouted over the hum.

"It's a shot of Jagermeister." He yelled back.

I wasn't sure what that was – I'd never heard of it before. But, that was why I was here, right? Moving away from Forks was about trying new things. I picked up the shot glass, surprised to find the liquid chilled, and took a small sip. My mouth immediately puckered and I placed the glass back down. Ok, maybe I could be adventurous about something else.

Ben watched me the entire time. He shook his head and shouted, "You're doing it wrong."

Good, maybe there was something else he could add to make it taste good. I tried to make eye contact with the bartender so he could bring some Coke, or maybe Kool-Aid to add to it, but he was ignoring me.

Ben grabbed my hand and squeezed to get my attention. He was wearing some kind of heavy ring that pressed hard against my fingers when he did that. I didn't like it very much. When I looked at him, I realized that he was now holding my shot glass. He brought it towards my mouth, mimed that I should tilt my head back, and dumped the entire contents down my throat.

I came up for air coughing and sputtering. He rubbed my back a few times reassuringly and then slid his hand down to rest on my waist.

"See! That wasn't so bad!"

It wasn't so good either, but I hadn't died.

He ordered another round and I prepared to down round number two.

I'm not sure how long it took to down the six empty glasses sitting in front of me, but I wasn't feeling so good. I'm not a drinker. Yeah, I have some wine now and then and some margaritas with the girls. I'd never had a shot before and it seemed to be having a weird effect on me. I felt a little dizzy, and sleepy. Sleepy was my general state of mind, but this was much worse than usual.

I smiled languidly at Ben, trying to tell him that I was ready to go home, but my mouth wasn't working right. He smiled back, and before I could blink, he had taken my hand and we were standing on the dance floor. I could feel the beat of the music all around me and I watched as he began to dance in time to it. I followed his lead, and he soon had snaked an arm around my waist and dragged me close. Really close. I could feel the hard planes of his chest against mine. His belt buckle pressed into my abdomen and he had pressed one of his knees in between mine. We swayed back and forth to the music and smiled into each other's faces.

A small part of my brain was screaming that this wasn't appropriate Bella behavior, but I was ignoring that for the time being. I felt free and alive and Ben was so tall and strong. He made me feel good.

We danced through several more songs before he leaned in to my ear and said, "Do you want to get out of here?" I nodded in relief. I wasn't anxious to be out of his company yet, but the bar was too loud and there were too many people. I felt suffocated.

We escaped out into the cold air of the night, laughing and holding onto each other. Ben seemed fine. The shots we'd consumed had little effect on him. I, on the other hand, was a silly mess.

I ran around his Jeep a few times and finally sat down on the back bumper, staring up at the night sky.

"Ben! Look at the stars! They're so pretty!" I shouted to the whole parking lot.

"Babe, yeah, they're great. Come on, let's get in the Jeep and go."

"Go where?" I asked.

He smiled and winked. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "My place."

That was when I felt like a bucket of cold water had been splashed on me. I wasn't so drunk that I didn't realize what that meant. And I wasn't ready to have sex with this guy. I barely knew him.

I turned to tell him that I just wanted to go home, alone, but that was when he licked my ear. He licked my ear! And it sent a tingle down my neck that reverberated throughout my entire body. I shivered in response, and he took that as a yes.

He quickly had me pressed against the side of the Jeep and attacked my mouth with his own. Before I could even react to the forcefulness of the kiss, his tongue was licking against the seam of my lips. This was not the kind of kissing I was used to. Not that I'd had that much experience, but Ben seemed to be moving things along pretty quickly.

I opened my mouth to tell him to get off of me, but he swooped in with his tongue instead and flicked it around, introducing it to my teeth and my own tongue.

When the tip of his tongue touched the tip of mine, I felt a small flare of response go through me. Ok, this wasn't so bad after all. I flicked my tongue back, which earned me a groan. He pressed his body closer against mine. I finally kissed him back, rather enthusiastically, and I suddenly felt the need to get as close to him as possible.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed my breasts against his chest. I rubbed my leg against his, trying to get even closer. Our tongues were still dueling and my heart was beating out of my chest. I'd never felt like this before.

His lips left my own and ran a wet trail down my neck. He sucked on a spot on my neck, right below my ear and I groaned loudly in response. It felt so good.

"Baby, come on. I want to get you home." This reminded me that he wanted to do more than make out. I still wasn't going to have sex with him though.

"Ben, wait, stop please." I pushed his heavy body off of mine, and we stood there, chests heaving, staring at each other.

"I like you, but I'm not going home with you."

"Ok, we'll go to your place then."

Was he being deliberately thick-headed? I hated that he was going to make me say this out loud.

"I'm not ready to have sex with you."

And with that, Ben changed into a different man.

"So you're just a cock tease then."

"What?"

"You've been hot on me all night, and now that's its time to seal the deal, you're keeping your legs closed."

Who was this guy? He'd seemed so nice all night long. I felt like I should apologize, because I hadn't meant to be a tease, but he didn't give me the chance.

"Well, babe, it was fun while it lasted. I'll see you around."

And before I even knew what was happening, he'd hopped into his Jeep and torn out of the parking lot like it was on fire.

Which left me all alone, at 1 am, in an area of town I didn't even know had existed until two hours ago. Without a ride.

Shit.

There was only one thing I could do now. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and called Alice.

"I need a ride home."

**A/N: Peter will be next, then we'll go back to the regular story. Please review!**


	3. Peter

**A/N: Here's the last of the dates. This one is my favorite of the three. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

True to his word, Peter picked me up at 12:30 pm sharp. He also looked exactly like the picture he'd texted to me last night. Short brown hair, glasses, and a nice strong chin. He looked like a typical thirty-year-old male, but maybe trimmer through the mid-section than most. He told me he ran every day with the freshman team, and it showed. All in all, he seemed fairly average. Which was fine with me. I'd had enough of not-average over the past week.

His car was a surprise though. He walked me to the passenger door of a large, white van. He must have noticed my questioning glance.

"I needed a vehicle big enough to carry around football equipment. The dealership gave me a great deal on this." He shrugged and held my elbow to help me into the front seat.

We chatted easily on the way to the restaurant. He really did seem like a nice guy. The front seat of the van was clean and didn't smell like sweaty gym equipment. He'd either cleaned it recently or he kept his stuff neat. Either way, I was impressed.

The restaurant he'd chosen was called "Nightingales." It was situated on the north side of the lake, almost directly opposite the school. We got a table by the window that overlooked the lake, and I could almost make out the roof of the school in the distance, and I pointed it out to Peter.

"Do you live on the lake?" I asked him.

"Oh, no, I live a couple streets over from Jasper and Alice."

"That's a nice neighborhood. They have a beautiful home."

"It is very nice. My house is similar in design, but I haven't made as many improvements as Jasper has."

"Jasper seems to really love his home improvement projects. He told me that he wanted to turn the basement into a home theater room."

Peter nodded his head in agreement. "I wish I could take on something like that, but I'm just not mechanically inclined."

"What do you do in your spare time then?" This is where my date with Felix had gone south, so I braced myself for every possible response.

"The usual. I read – a lot, and I like to go to movies, concerts. Hang out with my college buddies on the weekend and watch basketball games. What do you like to do?"

We continued to share our likes and dislikes, and I realized that we seemed to have a lot in common. Where had this guy been hiding? Alice should have brought him out sooner, though I probably would have ignored him while I was still mooning over Jacob. Alice always seemed to know best.

Peter had also been right about the buffet. They had every possible food item imaginable: roast beef, turkey, shrimp cocktail, mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted potatoes, rice, chicken nuggets, succotash, potato rolls, crescent rolls, dinner rolls, baked ziti, stuffing, clam chowder, corn chowder, vegetable soup, not to mention the salad and dessert bars.

Normally, I would have been hesitant to fill my plate while out with someone new, but I had felt so comfortable with Peter up til then, I had no problem coming back with a full plate and some dessert.

Peter, bless his heart, didn't even glance at my plate. He dug into his own meal with gusto and he spent the rest of the meal recommending things for me to do in the area. He was a wealth of knowledge. How come this guy was single?

We each ordered a cup of hot tea after the meal, another thing we had in common, and we continued to talk and watch the boats motor across the lake.

When the check came, I reached for my purse, but Peter stopped me before I even pulled my wallet out.

"This is my treat," he said with a smile. I smiled back. He was so nice.

The drive back across town was quiet. I wondered if he was going to ask me out again. I was pretty sure that I would say yes. He surprised me at the turn off the main drag though.

"Um, would you want to come over to my place for a little while? I have _Step Brothers_ on DVD, and you mentioned that you hadn't seen it yet. We could pop some popcorn."

I wasn't dumb. I could tell the difference between Ben's "do you wanna come back to my place" and Peter's invitation to do the same. Peter was not expecting me to sleep with him today. Peter was an actual gentleman. I was just as anxious to keep our date going, so I said yes.

I didn't hesitate. I didn't think about this being a dangerous situation. Alice and Jasper knew this man. There was no danger in going home with him. He wasn't planning to tie me up and murder me as soon as we got there. This would just be two people watching a movie and getting to know each other better.

I felt good about this.

I should have known that my luck was no good. Peter was the last point of the Trifecta. It just took me a while to figure that out.

His home seemed normal at first. He was right – it was the same design and floor plan as Alice and Jasper's. He led me into the living room, and I was impressed with the hardwood floors, matching furniture and window treatments. Even the lamps seemed to match the room. I should have realized that no normal man would have known what a window treatment was, let alone actually take the time to make it blend in with the rest of the room's décor and color.

We settled onto his Chenille sofa, and it hit me. What bachelor's living room looked like this? He should have had either hand-me down furniture or two leather chairs placed strategically in front of the jumbo plasma TV that hung from the wall so that he and his buddy could play Halo for hours on end. Peter had neither the jumbo TV nor the gaming system. And the only reason I knew the sofa was Chenille because Alice had been looking through a furniture catalog one day after school last week and had been drooling over a sofa very similar to this one.

This room had been decorated by a woman – I just knew it. Now, either two things had happened here. Peter could have hired a professional decorator, which seemed highly unlikely considering his gender and his salary, or, and this was a big or, his wife had decorated this room.

Small clues began falling into place. Why had this guy gone around Alice? Why hadn't Alice told me about him? Maybe the van wasn't for football equipment after all – maybe he used it to tote his 12 kids around town.

I was concerned now. I was not going to mess around with a married man, but I needed proof before I kicked him in the shins and ran two streets over to Alice's house. I really didn't want to run in these shoes, but I would if I had to.

I looked around the room for more clues. There was a plant in the corner, but it looked plastic. He had a fireplace, which I was momentarily jealous of, but there weren't any pictures lining the mantle. Just some silver candlesticks. I found what I'd been looking for but hoping not to find on the end table, just to his right. How convenient that he'd chosen that end of the sofa to sit on. He was trying to hide the evidence, but I'd be damned if I was going to sit there any longer while he pretended to be single.

"This is a nice home you have, Peter. The furniture and window treatments are lovely."

His eyes pulled off the movie and he smiled at me. "Thank you." What a faker.

"Who's that?" I asked and pointed to the picture at his elbow.

He frowned and looked to his side. I saw the moment that the light came on in his head, the moment he realized that I was on to his little scam.

"That's my wife."

This validation of my fears did not make me feel good. I stood up, grabbed my purse, and headed towards the door. I hoped that Jasper wouldn't mind punching in his friend's face for me. I would try it myself, but I was afraid I would break my hand and have to go to the ER.

"Bella, no wait, please. It's not like that." He called after me. How dumb did he think I was?

"Goodbye, Peter," I called back as I opened his front door.

"My wife is dead!" He shouted after me. I stopped in my tracks, frozen in place. Oh, God, please don't tell me that I just made a fool of myself.

"She died a year ago in a car crash. I've put some of her things away, but I just couldn't bring myself to put this one picture away. I'm a widower, Bella."

Yes, I had definitely made a giant fool of myself. I turned back around, and Peter had the saddest look on his face. It broke my heart.

"Peter, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions…" I felt like shit.

I walked back into the house and shut the door behind me.

"I should have mentioned it earlier, but it's kind of a hard topic to bring up. When is the best time to mention that you're a widower - before or after the salad?" He chuckled hollowly at his joke.

I didn't know what to say. Where did we go from here?

I sat back down on the sofa and turned the TV off.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Charlotte was my high school sweetheart. Kind of like how Jasper and Alice have been together since high school? We had been too."

I actually hadn't known that Jasper and Alice had been together that long. I'd have to get her to tell me that story some time.

I spent the rest of the afternoon on Peter's couch, listening to him talk about Charlotte, whom he was clearly still in love with. Sure, he and I had gotten along easily from the start and I had hoped there would be something more, but I realized that wasn't going to happen.

Peter, like me, was still trying to get over the pain of losing someone he loved. I was further along in my recovery the he was though. Peter wasn't ready for a relationship yet. But, I thought that I might be.

He drove me home just as the sun was setting, and I told him goodbye. We had decided that we made better friends than anything else at the moment, but he wasn't ready to put himself out there yet. I understood, and I was still glad that he had called me yesterday.

I might not have been ready for Edward Cullen if it hadn't been for him.

**A/N: So, there you have it. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review…**


	4. Band Practice

**A/N: Here's a little scene that will probably clear up some Edward confusion. This takes place the week after Thanksgiving, so this scene goes into chapter 22. Edward talked a little bit in chapter 22 about this, but this outtake shows you where all those thoughts and feelings came from. **

**As always, I own nothing Twilight.**

Edward jumped out of the car as soon as he got to Steve's house, and managed to work his portable keyboard out of the trunk without damaging anything important. He could hear the thump of the drum kit through the basement windows and groaned. He wasn't in the mood for another lecture.

He kicked the small windowpane as he struggled past it to let Steve know that he was there. The door was usually unlocked, but Edward wasn't comfortable barging into someone else's house unannounced.

He'd barely managed to get the door open before Steve suddenly appeared to lend him a hand.

"Thanks, man," Edward told him as he lifted the other side of the keyboard. "This would be a lot easier if you let me keep a keyboard here permanently." Edward had tried on more than once occasion to accidentally leave one behind. He had the means to buy another for his own home. It didn't make sense to keep dragging it back and forth between rehearsal spots all the time.

Steve, as usual, shook his head. "Mandi's constantly harping about the drum kit being down there. She'll be pissed if I add a keyboard to the menagerie."

Edward grunted as they headed down the narrow steps. He couldn't blame the wife for wanting to keep as much of their space to themselves as possible.

"Hey! Look who decided to show up!"

"Thanks for making the effort, Cullen!"

"About fucking time." Shakes, of course, was the least happy about Edward's delayed appearance at rehearsal. He'd been giving Edward a hard time about everything lately. Edward was a little sick of dealing with whatever bug had crawled up his ass.

They managed to squeeze the keyboard in amongst the other instruments and Joey dragged over a folding chair for Edward to sit on. He blew out a quick breath and looked around the room, trying to gauge everyone's annoyance level at once.

"What did I miss?" He was only about 20 minutes late, but he'd known how upset the guys would be by his late arrival. Lately, Edward had been finding it harder and harder to leave Bella to go to rehearsal. That particular evening, he'd discovered that she'd bought some corset thing that did amazing things to her breasts. She'd given him a short fashion show which had turned all that more interesting when he'd tried to remove the article of clothing from her. The only reason he was at rehearsal at all was because she'd shoved him out the door with the promise of unlacing her out of it later.

Edward shifted inconspicuously against the hard chair while he listened to Gordy go over the set list they'd decided on for that weekend's performance.

"I thought we were going to end with _Sunrise_?" Edward pulled out his notes from their last meeting to double-check, but he knew that he was right.

"We took a vote and switched it to _Bluebird_."

Edward narrowed his eyes at Shakes. "I thought we all got a vote on what songs to play."

"We all do. Those of us who decide to show up on time."

"Give me a fucking break. It was only twenty minutes. I'm not the first person to be late for a rehearsal."

"Yeah, but this isn't the first time for you. What is it – the fourth or fifth time, in a row?"

Edward glanced at the others who seemed riveted in the conversation that he was having with Shakes. "Do the rest of you feel this way?"

Steve suddenly found his bass drum extremely interesting, but Joey and Gordy nodded their heads affirmatively.

"Huh." Edward was taken aback by the sudden mutiny he had on his hands. "I didn't realize we'd begun clocking time cards. I guess I'll have to stay late to make up what I missed."

No one laughed at his joke and Edward sighed in frustration. "Look, I'll make a better effort from now on." They did have a point. They each had other jobs, families, and lives that they were taking time away from in an effort to make each rehearsal. Edward couldn't keep wasting their time.

He turned to pull out his music, but Shakes' quiet cough alerted him that they weren't done yet. He turned back around and cocked an eyebrow.

"We've been talking…"

"It sounds like that's all you've been doing so far this practice."

"…and we're beginning to question your dedication to the group."

Edward's mouth fell open. They couldn't be serious. Another quick scan around the room showed him that they were. Any minute now, Edward expected to be forced to walk the plank.

"You've got to be kidding me. All I've done since I got back in town is work on this group. I've been composing, rehearsing, setting up gigs for us – how much more dedication do you need from me?"

Shakes narrowed his eyes at Joey, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to run up the stairs and out of the basement. "You seem to have other more time-consuming interests now, Edward." Joey adjusted his sax strap as he spoke and he had the plastic slide almost up to his neck before he realized that he'd be choking if he went any higher.

Light dawned upon Edward's confusion. They were concerned about Bella.

"Bella understands the importance of the group to me. I can assure you that she wants nothing but the best for us."

"But what do you want, Edward? Do you want to be a success, or do you want to stay home and play googly-eyes with your girlfriend?" Shakes was being particularly fucker-like that evening, and Edward didn't appreciate it.

"Am I suddenly the only one with a girlfriend? Or a wife?" In fact, Edward had been the only single one in the group until he'd started dating Bella. These assholes were being a bunch of hypocrites and it was pissing him off.

"No, but the rest of us manage to make rehearsal on time," Shakes responded. "And we don't sneak backstage in the middle of a performance for a blowjob."

Edward stood violently, kicking the chair he'd been sitting on back behind him in the process. "Don't fucking talk about Bella like that. She's more than just some lay." Anger radiated through his body at the callous tone that Shakes had taken. What he and Bella did together was none of their fucking business. And he didn't like the insinuation that she was any less important than any of the rest of their girls.

Joey moved in between him and Shakes, obviously fearing that Edward was getting ready to pummel him into the ground. That's exactly what Edward felt like doing at that moment. "Guys, settle down. Dude, we know she's not just another girl for you and that's exactly why we're concerned. Remember that day I stopped by your house and you practically bit my head off because I looked at her? You never used to care about who looked at your girl before. I know that this one's different, we all do. It's just, she's a nice girl. How is she going to feel when you're on the road, touring, keeping late hours, not returning her phone calls, and she's still here, teaching school, spending time with her friends? How's that going to work for her?"

"The same way it works for your wife, Joseph," Edward growled at him. He didn't want to think about being away from Bella, even if it meant fulfilling a lifelong dream. The thought stopped Edward cold. He'd never factored a woman into his dream before. He'd never pictured leaving someone behind, but now that he had Bella, he was going to be forced to figure that out. She'd been supportive so far, but Joey was right, how supportive could she really be when she was here working and carrying on with her regular life while he was out living on the road?

"Sam knows the score, Edward," Joey finally replied, hesitantly in deference to Edward's sudden change in demeanor. "They all do. The girls have been around long enough to know where our priorities lie. But, we've go to ask: where are yours?"

Edward turned and picked up the chair he'd angrily kicked over. He collapsed into it and turned his back on the guys, running his fingers over the keyboard instead. His music had always been the most important part of his life. Was he supposed to give that up now? Bella had never asked him to, and she probably wouldn't. But did she understand how things would be from now on? He couldn't keep blowing off practice to stay home with her.

"Cullen? Are you still with us? We need to know that you're still planning on sticking with our plans from here on out. Remember the grand plan? Make music, get heard? We need to know- are you in or are you out? Cause, if you're in, you need to be all the way in. You need to straighten your head out, straighten out your girl, and do whatever it is that you need to do. We need you 100%. If you're out, then we need to move along and so do you."

The ultimatum had finally been laid bare. Edward knew it had been coming. It pissed him off to hear it anyway. Edward wanted to wish them luck with finding another Edward Cullen to front the Edward Cullen Five, but he knew the name could be changed just as easily as one of Joey's reeds. Hell, Shakes had probably already printed up t-shirts for the new "Preston Harbinger Four." Edward, as usual, snickered at the thought of Shakes' real name. He'd go by something different too if he'd been saddled with that monstrosity.

Edward just couldn't do it though. This had been his dream for so long, and now that they had a steady gig, a chance at laying some music down and the opportunity to go out on tour, he couldn't back down now. He'd work things out with Bella, somehow.

He sighed and turned back around. They were all staring at him, waiting for an answer. "I'm in," he told them, hoping that he wouldn't regret it.

Joey nodded his head and clapped Shakes on the back. "See?" Edward heard him whisper. Not a total surprise that Shakes was the most anxious about his response. Their relationship had always been a little rocky, especially since his girlfriend, Carrie, had been a thorn in Edward's side for a long time. She'd pursued Edward all through their undergrad years and only backed off a little once she and Shakes hooked up. Edward never hid his polite refusals of her company, even when her offers were presented practically underneath the nose of her boyfriend.

Edward blew out a breath and ran his hands up and down the keyboard. The process never failed to calm him, and he needed a healthy dose of calm.

"Are we ready to start playing now?" Edward asked, trying to leave out all traces of the testiness he felt.

"Just two more things." Shakes was doing it on purpose now. He wanted Edward to be frustrated beyond belief.

Edward turned back around, hopefully for the last time. "What is it?"

"We can't turn down those two performances at the end of the month. We're going to need you to be here."

"Uh-uh. I've got plans. I told you that already."

"Alders agrees with us. The exposure and practice performing live will really help to develop our sound. We need you there, Cullen."

Fucking shitbags. Edward wanted to bang his head on the keyboard. Bella would kill him if he didn't go home with her now. He was supposed to meet her dad, and he had a few choice words to share with that Jacob guy. He had to go.

"Dealbreaker. I'll walk if I have to."

Steve spoke up then, which was unusual. He usually kept pretty quiet. "Man, don't be like that. You know we wouldn't ask unless it was important. This is important. You can go to Spoons some other time. Her dad will still be there in a few months. That's not too long to wait, is it?"

"Forks," Edward muttered under his breath. He couldn't believe that he was actually considering what they had proposed. Bella would be beyond upset with him if he backed out now. He could understand that they needed the gigs, but fuck, it was Christmas. He'd just wanted two weeks with Bella.

"What's the other thing?" He asked, trying to put off his decision for as long as possible.

"We need to rehearse every day. And we need you here on time every day."

And there went his plan to spend at least part of the winter break away with Bella. "Come on, is all this necessary? We're tight and we've obviously done something right so far. Do we really need all these extra rehearsals? Sometimes it's better just to relax and let the music flow."

"Cullen, make a decision. The rest of us have all agreed. We thought you were in – that's what you said when you came back, but we need to know if you really mean it. Make a decision." Shakes stared him down and Edward felt like a volleyball match was going on in his head. Bella versus his career. He couldn't do both. Which side would win? He didn't want to choose, but it seemed like he would be forced into it anyway.

"I'm in."

"Then let's get jamming. Cullen, let's start with the big band piece we were trying out last week…"

Edward heard Joey's words in the back of his mind, but they made little sense. He wondered if he'd just made a deal with the devil. Had he sold his soul for the only thing he'd thought he'd always wanted? He sure as hell hoped not.


	5. Alice

**A/N: This scene takes place the same night that Bella has her talk with Jacob. We'll see it referenced in chapter 26. Let's take a peek at what Alice and Edward are up to...**

**Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. **

Alice rapped on the door with as much strength as she could muster. While she waited for her summons to be answered, she turned and flashed a smile at her gorgeous husband who was waiting in the truck. She had plans that night for Mr. Whitlock, especially now that she wasn't sore and achy anymore. She was trying to decide between coconut and chocolate when a quiet cough interrupted her thoughts. She gave one last wave to Jasper before turning to face Edward.

"I would act surprised, but I've been expecting this visit for almost a week." Edward stood back and held the door open wide for her to pass through.

Alice headed up the steps and into Edward's living room. She kept her coat on because she wasn't planning on staying very long. As she took a look around the room, she really took notice of his home for the first time. He was almost thirty years old, but he still lived like he was in college. Ratty furniture, blank walls, everything painted the same, boring beige. No wonder he was having problems acting like a grown-up; he still lived like a kid.

"I'm here about Bella," Alice said, as she turned to face him. She regarded his unkempt clothes, stubbly face and unwashed hair with equal parts disdain and sadness. This was not the Edward she'd grown to know and love over the years.

"Just say what you need to Alice. I can promise you it won't be anything worse that what I've thought of on my own." Edward leaned against the back of his couch, and Alice wondered for a moment if it would collapse from the added pressure. She added furniture shopping to the list of things she and Bella would need to do in order to get his home habitable. Alice still had enough faith that they would figure things out. She just needed to get them back on track.

"What's the real issue here, Edward? Don't give me that bogus crap about your band, rehearsals, and gigs. You wouldn't go to so much trouble to push Bella away for something that is so easy to work around."

"Easy? You think this is easy? Hurting Bella isn't easy. Keeping my promises isn't easy. Trying to be in four different places at once isn't easy." Edward spit his words out with a sort of maniacal disbelief.

"Stress? Is that what this is about?"

"No. Yes. Shit, I don't know anymore. Everything used to make sense. And then everything got complicated and I can't wrap my brain around everything all at once."

"Stop thinking so much. What do you feel is the right thing to do?"

"It doesn't matter what I feel. I have to be logical about this."

"Says who?" Alice snapped, feeling her ire rise. He was being deliberately obtuse, but he wouldn't be Edward otherwise.

"Alice, this path I'm on now makes sense. This is my dream. Have you ever wanted something so bad, something that was so close to being yours that you could reach out with your hand and brush your fingertips against it? That's how I'm _feeling_ right now."

Alice closed her eyes against the rush of emotions that jolted through her. Yes, she knew exactly what it felt like to have a dream that close. In her case, she'd lost it three months in.

"Are you sure this _dream_ is all that you want? This is all you need to be happy in life?" Alice was trying to goad him in the right direction. She needed him to see that he wasn't only hurting Bella. He was hurting himself in the process.

"It's all I ever wanted," Edward said, but his words didn't hold the same conviction anymore.

_Gotcha._

"Is there a possibility that you've wanted other things too?"

"Alice, don't do this." His voice sounded strained now.

"Haven't you ever wanted something other than coming home to this sad, empty house of yours? Maybe someone special waiting for you, wanting nothing more than to love and take care of you? A kid on each hip? A dog? Edward, I know you love your music. It's so much a part of you that every memory I have of you has some song attached to it. Whether you know it or not, you're either humming, tapping your foot or attached to your piano. It's like the music lives inside of you. But, there can be so much more for you. And it doesn't have to be this all or nothing. Plenty of successful musicians have juggled a family with life on the road. You wouldn't be the first."

Edward tapped his fingers against the back of the sofa, but quickly balled them into his fist. Alice smirked: he was listening after all.

He continued to stare at the floor and said something so quietly that Alice had to ask him to repeat it.

His eyes met hers and they were like liquid. Alice could see every emotion that he wasn't allowing himself to emote. It was frustrating to see him struggle with choosing between his brain and his heart.

"I don't know what I want anymore. The music's still there, but something's not right. I thought this was what I wanted, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Oh, honey, you need to give your brain a rest and let your feelings come through for once. They're struggling to be heard but you keep locking them away. If something's not right, then you need to let it out and then you can go back to your logical male brain and figure out a solution. Is it something to do with Bella?"

Edward shook his head like a small child that was afraid to admit the truth.

"Are you afraid of failure?"

Edward shot her a quick look of disbelief. No, that had never been a particular concern for Edward.

"Is it the band? You guys aren't getting along?" Alice knew they'd had their fair share of disagreements over the years, but that just came with the territory.

Edward sighed. He was obviously getting tired of her guessing the wrong thing.

"Just tell me already then."

"I don't know that this group is really the right venue for me anymore. It's gotten too crowded and so freaking serious."

"Crowded?" There were only five of them, same as there ever had been.

"Egos," Edward told her.

Alice clucked her tongue. "So, what would be the right venue for Edward Cullen?"

"I don't know, Alice. This is all more confusing that I ever thought it would be."

"Have you talked to Bella about this?"

His silence gave her all the answer she needed.

"If you're serious about Bella, and I know that you are, you need to start treating her like a partner. You don't have to do this alone. If nothing else, you'll feel better just for getting it all off your chest."

"I'm not used to doing that, Alice. It's hard enough talking to you about it. With Bella, I don't know, I'd feel like I was letting her down."

"She'll be proud of you no matter you do. You could sit on the street corner with an organ grinder and a monkey and she'd be proud of you. Bella just wants you to be happy. We all do."

"God, I've fucked things up, haven't I?"

"It's not too late, Edward. Talk to her. She loves you, even when you're acting like a major asshole."

"But, what if she's changed her mind? I can't believe I sent her to Forks. I was supposed to meet her dad and she was going to talk to that Jacob guy...I should have been there for her."

"Yeah, well, you can't do anything about it from here, can you?"

Edward's eyes lit up and he smiled brightly at Alice for the first time since he opened the door.

"You're absolutely right. I've got some things to do. Alice, this has actually been rather helpful."

Alice smarted at his tone of astonishment. He should have realized by now how much easier everyone's lives would be if they just listened to her.

Edward walked her to the door and waved to Jasper. Alice slid into the truck, feeling pounds lighter than she had before.

"Any luck?" Jasper asked as he backed out of the driveway.

"Yes," Alice replied, placing her hand high on his thigh. "I decided on the chocolate."

**A/N: So, a pretty big hint about things to come.**


	6. Edward's Bathtub

**A/N: This is the outtake I offered a few chapters back as a review incentive. It fits into the story between chapters 30 and 31. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Twilight. I'm just teaching the characters how to conserve water.**

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Bella woke to the sound of running water. She groped Edward's side of the bed and wasn't surprised to find it empty. His spot was still warm though so he hadn't been gone very long. "Edward," she called out, her voice still rough with sleep.

The water shut off and she heard a loud splash come from the bathroom. That wasn't the sound of the shower after all. She sat up and smiled. Edward was in the bath tub.

Bella climbed out of the bed and tugged down the t-shirt she'd worn to bed. Her feet were silent as she padded across the floor to the bathroom. The door wasn't completely closed and a pale sliver of light spilled out of the room and onto the beige carpet of the bedroom. She quietly pushed the door open wide and was greeted by what could only be the eighth wonder of the world.

Edward sat in the tub, his back pressed against the back of it, eyes closed. Steam billowed from the tub and filled the room; he was the only bright spot in the haze of white tile and saturated air. He sighed deeply as Bella neared the tub, almost like the hot water was taking away all his stress from the day. His knees were bent, and as she neared the tub she realized it wasn't because his legs were too long to fit inside the tub. His knees were bent so he could stroke his cock more easily.

Bella gasped as she watched his hand slip and slide over his member underneath the water. She was mesmerized by the sight of his hand gently caressing the length of his penis. The head seemed to bob each time he reached the tip and Bella felt a familiar wetness between her thighs.

"Are you just going to watch or did you want to join me?" Edward asked.

Bella's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. His eyes were still closed but he was smiling now.

"I'm enjoying the view," she replied as she kneeled on the thick white rug in front of the tub. She stuck her hand into the water to test the temperature. It was still very hot. Edward preferred to take hot showers but Bella's skin was too delicate for that.

His hand continued to pump his cock, but he angled his knees so Bella had a better view of the action. He groaned loudly then and gripped the edge of the tub hard with his other hand. Bella felt all the blood in her body rush to her groin.

"Edward," Bella moaned, "let me wash your back." She couldn't take watching him stroke his penis for much longer. She felt like she was going to combust at any moment.

Thankfully, Edward released his cock and Bella gave a sigh of relief. Edward gripped the sides of the tub and scooted forward so Bella could reach his back more easily. She picked the washcloth off the back ledge of the tub and dipped it deep into the water.

She took the soap that Edward offered and rubbed it in the washcloth, working up a good lather. Edward bent forward as she ran the washcloth over the planes of his back. Leaning forward the way he was, she could see the top of his butt, and it made Bella giggle. "You have a nice ass," she told him, sinking her hand into the water to clean the lower part of his back.

"Oh yeah?" Edward said, raising his eyebrows in delight. He turned his head and watched as her hand dipped back into the water again. "I'm not sure that you're able to reach all my dirty spots from way out there. Why don't you join me now?"

Bella shook her head and started washing his shoulders. She loved his shoulders. He had a spattering of freckles across the very top and it made her wonder if he would freckle more during the summer. She followed the curve of the muscle as it dipped down into his bicep and on instinct, she leaned in and kissed him there. "You taste good," she said as she leaned across the tub to wash the other shoulder.

"I think you need to get wet, Bella," he told her as he shifted in the tub. Bella sat back on her knees and closed her eyes. If he only knew how wet she was already…

Her eyes snapped open as a splash of warm water hit the front of her shirt. Edward grinned at her open-mouthed reaction. "I told you…" he trailed off as his eyes fixed on the front of her t-shirt. Bella looked down and realized that the water he'd splashed had soaked through her shirt, plastering it to her breasts and pebbling her nipples.

"Ahhhh," he said as he gripped the sides of the tub again. He scooted in the tub until his back was against the wall again. "Please," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Bella stood and pulled her shirt off, tossing the damp material to the floor. She climbed into the tub and sat facing Edward, carefully arranging her legs so they draped over his hips. The tub was not huge, but it was big enough so that there was room for the both of them to sit comfortably.

The water sloshed around as she settled. She leaned her head back and sighed as the warm water lapped against her body. Her body pulsed with need and she could feel Edward's desire radiating off him in waves. As she pulled her hair off her neck and into a messy bun on top of her head, she wondered who would break first. She didn't have to wait long.

Edward's hand started at her knee. His touch seared her skin and Bella took a shaky breath trying to calm herself. His thumb rubbed gentle circles before sliding down the length of her thigh underneath the surface of the water. His large hand slid along her skin and she gasped when he palmed her mound.

"God, I love you Bella," Edward said. He closed his eyes briefly and when they opened it was as if his soul had been set on fire. The green depths shifted and glinted light like they were adrift at sea. Bella blinked and she was suddenly in his arms. He'd somehow managed to pull her forward in the tub so she was practically sitting in his lap.

Edward bent his mouth to hers and brushed his lips gently across her lips. For a while, the only sound that filled the room was the gentle lap of the water and the slip of their lips against each other. Soon, Edward kissed his way down her neck and his hand rose out of the water to palm her breast. He pinched and teased her nipples until she was panting.

"Edward, please, I want to feel your mouth," she said against his neck. The words had barely left her mouth before she felt the wet heat of his mouth at her breast. She watched his head against her body in fascination as he pulled and sucked with his lips and tongue. It felt as if he was trying to pull her very essence out. He dragged his teeth lightly against her nipple and Bella called out his name in pleasure.

"I need you," she said then as her hand plunged into the water to grab hold of his erection. Edward lifted his head just as she angled him so she could take him inside of her body.

"Wait, let me," he said before she could lift her hips up to take him in. Bella panted and waited impatiently as he shifted his hips and knees for a better angle. His hands sunk to her hips and he lifted her easily up and over his straining erection. He gently lowered her down and Bella took hold of his penis again as this time she took him deep and hard.

"Ahhhh…." Bella moaned as he filled her completely. The water sloshed around them as she began to ride him, but Bella was only vaguely aware of the sound it made as it splashed out of the tub and onto the floor.

They'd never made love in this position before, with their torsos plastered together and Bella sitting on Edward's lap. She was amazed at how intimate it seemed. They kissed languidly as Bella continued to move her body up and down along his cock. Edward groaned a moment later and let out a hiss.

"Look, Bella. Look at how well we fit together." Bella followed his eyes as he stared down into the water where they were joined. Through the water, Bella could see where the base of his penis met her throbbing center and it was almost too much for her to take. She closed her eyes and leaned back, feeling like all her senses had been overloaded at once.

She called his name again as her hips rode him in earnest now. Edward feasted on her breasts as she brought them closer to completion. "Oh, God," Bella called out as she felt the familiar tremors deep inside her body. She arched back as her body clenched frantically around his erection. Edward's orgasm followed moments later and he moaned her name repeatedly as he emptied himself into her body.

Bella collapsed against his chest, her head on his shoulder, as she fought to catch her breath. Edward's hands roamed across her back as they clutched to one another in the cooling bath water.

"Maybe we should try to get clean now," Bella said when Edward pulled out of her and eased them back against the tub.

"That's a good idea," he said. He used his foot to flick open the drain and the tub gurgled as the water began to seep out. "I'll be up for round two by the time we're all soapy." He waggled his eyebrows at he and Bella swatted his shoulder playfully, secretly looking forward to round number two as well.


	7. Stakeout

A/N: This fits in between chapters 36 and 37. I had originally thought I would include some of this in the story, but decided to keep it out. This was fun for me to write because I've wanted to do an Emmett POV since the beginning but it never fit. I finally got my chance. He's a little goofier here than usual, but he's also outside of school and away from Rosalie, who tends to dampen his silliness some. Enjoy…and Twilight is still not mine.

* * *

_Emmett, Thursday Night_

Emmett ran across the parking lot, fists pumping wildly. He credited the huge smile on his face to three things: the feel of the wind in his hair, the flex and pull of his muscles as they worked in tandem, and the sound of his little brother at least four lengths behind him. He took a quick look over his shoulder to check Edward's position and his smile grew even bigger. He so had this.

"Shotgun!" He yelled as he slapped the roof of Charlie's car and grabbed the handle of the passenger door. It was a ritual they'd had since they were little kids, but they hadn't fought over who got to sit up front in years. It pained Emmett to admit that Edward was faster and had usually beaten him to the car, but Emmett had the advantage this particular night. He'd been closer and might have forgotten to tell Edward that they were even going to race.

Edward's hand slapped the hood a few seconds later as he came to a screeching halt next to the car. "You're such a cheater!" Edward said as he bent over and rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily. The distance from Jack's apartment to the car hadn't been that far, but they'd been running full out.

Emmett's heart slowed and began to beat at a normal rate as they waited for Charlie to make his way across the parking lot. He had the keys and unlike them, he was taking his time. Charlie whistled quietly as he scanned the parking lot, still on alert for the hopeful pending appearance of Jack Senna. He patted his pockets when he got even with the car and Emmett heard the faint clinking of the handcuffs that had very recently been wrapped around his wrists.

Emmett rubbed his wrists gingerly with the memory. There were some faint red marks where the metal had been too tight against his skin. If Rosie saw them, she'd probably get mad. Not because he'd done something to warrant being handcuffed, but because he hadn't thought to bring a pair home for them to use during play time.

Emmett wasn't ashamed to admit that he got play time just like a preschooler would. His play time just involved different toys and a lot more satisfaction.

Charlie unlocked the car, bringing Emmett out of his reverie. He yanked the door open and slid onto the leather seat with a triumphant grin at his brother. Edward flipped him the bird before stomping around the front of the car and to the back door.

"Boys, place nice," Charlie said as he turned the motor on to heat the car for a while. It was early April and the nights still dipped below freezing. They'd been standing outside of Jack's apartment for at least thirty minutes, freezing their nuts off, and the heat blowing out of the car's vents felt good.

Emmett held his hands up to the warm stream of air. "I am the poster child for playing nice," he told Charlie before casting a discerning look at his brother.

Edward frowned at him and huffed. From the look in his eyes, Emmett could tell that their light-hearted conversation was about to take a 180.

"Emmett, about this morning…" Edward started to say, but Emmett cut him off.

"I already apologized. Do we need to rehash it again?" Emmett replied. Emmett wasn't one to agonize over the past. His philosophy was to just keep moving. In this case, it meant moving towards the future and not lingering on what should or could have happened. What happened was over and now they needed to determine how that would shape their goals and desires in the future.

"I just wanted to discuss the board and their role in all of this. Is it personal with them or what?" Edward sat forward now, on the edge of the back seat, and rested his arms on the back of Charlie's headrest.

Emmett sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had hoped to leave work behind for a while why they played cops and robbers, but as usual, that was not going to be the case. His job followed him everywhere. He sneaked a peek at Charlie hoping to use him as an excuse to get out of this conversation but he seemed enraptured by the conversation. _Damn_. It figured that he wouldn't be bored to death by this topic.

"You have to understand the purpose of the board of directors," Emmett said as he settled back against the leather seat of the car. "They have administrative and financial responsibilities that are vital to the success of Cullen Academy. They set the procedures and policies to which the school adheres. They are also responsible for the financial well-being of the school. The men and women of the board make sure that the school is running according to its guidelines and that we aren't in the red."

Emmett paused and turned his head to look at his brother. "The school is just like any business in that respect. Financial solvency is one of our goals, which leads to the security of the school and the happiness of the board of directors. The National Diamond Award of Excellence is a big deal. Prestige, recognition, money: the kinds of things that are important to people like board members. This particular award also has the added bonus of being secretive and very exclusive."

"Like Skull and Bones," Charlie interjected.

Emmett raised his eyebrows, surprised that Charlie knew about the Yale secret society. "Yes," he replied. "Naturally, the board was extremely anxious for the school to win. The time and effort that the board put into preparing the school for the judging process was unbelievable. They were hungry for it and this morning, when we got the phone call, well, you can see how upset they would have been."

Edward was quiet. Emmett turned so he could look at his brother. Charlie continued to scan the parking lot. Some of the anger was gone from Edward's face now and Emmett was glad for it. The situation was fucked up, but they needed to keep their minds clear and emotionless in order to move forward. "It's not personal, Edward. It's just the way they've always been. If it had been Alice, or Angela, or Felix, or Eric, the results would have been the same. They would have been released immediately and sent on their way. Should it have been handled differently? Absolutely. Will I be fighting for Bella? You'd better believe it. I love your little flower and I absolutely hate what happened this morning, but we can't dwell on it. We're taking steps now to correct the situation and just like that freaking Scarlett O'Hara says, 'Tomorrow is another day.'"

The car was silent for a moment before Edward and Charlie both started cracking up. Emmett smiled right along with them. Sometimes, it was just better to say stupid stuff to make them laugh than to be serious all the time.

"Did you just quote _Gone with the Wind_?" Edward asked, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Yep," Emmett replied unapologetically.

"You are messed up in the head," his brother told him. Emmett agreed with him to some extent, but he wasn't going to admit that. Besides, it was nice to see a smile on Edward's face. He would have stood on top of the car and danced like Beyonce if it meant wiping the frown away.

He decided that it was time to get back to the real issue at hand: how to catch a sneaky reporter. "So, Charlie, what's the plan? Are you going to call in backup? Have a helicopter on standby? How do we take down the perp? And when do I get my gun?" Emmett rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Charlie's bottom lip protruded a bit as he appeared to contemplate Emmett's questions. He twisted to the right slightly and wrapped his arm around the back of his seat so he could see Emmett better. "You ever handled a weapon before?"

"No, sir," Emmett said as he took over scanning the parking lot. This was way better than _Law & Order_. Emmett was pondering the possibility of writing and starring in his own TV series when Edward pushed open the back door and climbed out.

"I'll be right back. I'm going up to Bella's to grab us some snacks," Edward said. Emmett watched him lope across the parking lot and up the stairs to Bella's apartment.

Emmett continued his slow scan of the parking lot until he looked back to his left and realized that Charlie was still looking at him. "What?" He asked, wondering how long Bella's Pop had been staring him down.

"Son, why in the hell would I give you a weapon if you've never even handled one before? That's just plain stupidity. You'd probably shoot your foot off the first chance you got and that would just look shitty on me." Charlie tapped his fingers a few times on the steering wheel, punctuating the important words like "stupidity" and "shitty."

Emmett nodded in understanding. He didn't blame the Chief for being cautious. "I've had plenty of practice though. Edward and I play Halo all the time on my Xbox. I kick ass. Besides, we can't send you in there alone. You need me to cover your six."

Charlie was silent for a moment. Emmett leaned down to turn on the radio, hoping to catch the tail end of the Cubs game, but Charlie's hand shot out and covered the radio before Emmett even got close. "Edward did say that you're the school's principal, right?" He asked keeping his eyes glued to Emmett's face.

Emmett sat back reluctantly. "Yes, that's right."

"So, you've probably got a couple fancy degrees then too."

"Yes…"

"I guess I'm glad Bella went to school in Washington then. She knows the difference between handling a real weapon and playing a video game."

Emmett laughed at Charlie's remark. "Chief – did you really think I meant that I would be able to shoot a gun just because I've played a video game? I was just yanking your chain. I would have your back though. I played tackle in high school and I could probably still take down a few people, even as out of practice as I am."

Charlie stared at him dubiously for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Jack's apartment. "You're not as serious as your brother, are you?" The hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Emmett relaxed back against the seat. "Not all the time. I do have my moments, but I would say on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being an Edward, I'm more of a 7." Emmett glanced over at Charlie again and then checked the stairs to Bella's apartment to make sure that Edward wasn't on his way back yet. "Edward's a good guy. He loves Bella, you know. We all do. He may screw up sometimes, but what guy gets everything right all the time? She's good for him, but I think he's good for her too." Emmett didn't want to get all girlie with the Chief, but he felt like he needed to reassure him regarding Bella. He knew that Edward was going to propose soon, and he didn't want Charlie to worry about Bella, especially since Charlie lived so far away. All of the Cullens were going to take care of her.

Charlie huffed and tapped the steering wheel a few more times. "He's been better today," he said after a moment. Charlie seemed to like his silences. "Not as uptight or grouchy. He finally stopped calling me sir all the time too. That just makes me feel old." A real smile spread across his face now and it made Emmett glad to see it. Bella's Pop was pretty ok in his book.

Emmett spied Edward crossing the parking lot then. He carried a plastic grocery bag in one hand and a few bottles of water in the other. Emmett would have preferred a beer, but he would make do with the water. The Chief probably expected them to stay sober while they kept watch.

Once he was settled in the back seat, Edward passed up two bottles of water and a bag of potato chips for them to share. "Won't Bella be mad that you're taking her food?" Emmett asked as he dug into the bag like he'd been a contestant on _Survivor_ for the past month.

Edward finished gulping down some water and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't think so. Besides, I'll just buy her some more tomorrow."

Emmett finished his bottle and asked for another. "Dude – that's supposed to last you all night," Edward said in disgust.

"Sue me – I was thirsty." Emmett tossed the empty bottle into the backseat, hoping that it would "accidentally" hit Edward in the head.

"I expect my car to be as clean when you leave as when you stepped foot inside it," Charlie remarked as he set his still full bottle of water into the cup holder.

Emmett nodded his head and eyed Charlie's bottle of water, wondering if it was worth the risk to try to take it from him.

"I still have my handcuffs, Emmett," Charlie said as Emmett's fingers twitched towards the bottle. He pulled them back with a curse and stared out the window for a while. He was just getting to the point of wondering aloud who could actually win a battle against the Incredible Hulk when he realized that he shouldn't have drunk his water so quickly after all.

"Edward, let me have Bella's key."

"Why?"

"Man, do you really need to ask? I just downed a bottle of water."

Edward groaned and Emmett heard the jangling of the keys as he pulled them out of his pocket. "You were always the worst on car trips," he said, handing over the keys.

Emmett pushed the car door open and ran full out across the parking lot. He cursed his bladder the whole way up the steps and then cursed the door lock for not opening quickly enough. He finally got the door open but almost tripped on some small piece of carpet that Bella had sitting right inside the door. He cursed that too as he slammed the door shut and blindly found his way into Bella's bathroom. He reappeared a few minutes later and headed directly into the kitchen, flipping on some lights on his way.

In the fridge, he found six more bottles of water which he promptly set onto the counter. They were soon joined by a loaf of bread, mayonnaise, a package of sliced turkey and some deli-cut cheese. He took his time making his sandwiches, enjoying the warmth and peacefulness of Bella's apartment. He'd only been by a few times to visit, but he knew that she had slowly put her own personal touches into her living space.

When Emmett was done eating, he proudly put back everything that he'd dragged out. Rosie had trained him well. It might have taken a year or two for him to figure out that cold stuff actually needed to be returned to the fridge in order to stay cold, but his wife had been extremely patient with him. She had an excellent system of rewards and punishments. Sometimes, the punishments were just as good as the rewards.

Somehow, he managed to carry all six bottles, lock the door and make it back to the car without dropping any of them. Unfortunately, his dumbass little brother had stolen the front seat while he was gone and he was going to have to squeeze himself into the backseat.

"You are such a cocksucker," he said as he dumped the provisions onto the seat next to him.

"Move your feet, lose your seat," Edward chanted. Emmett had an overwhelming urge to punch his brother in the head, but he resisted. He didn't want to make him look bad in front of the Chief.

Instead, they talked about sports for a while. Edward fell asleep about halfway through their discussion of what city had the better fans, but Emmett nudged him awake each time his head fell forward. It was Emmett's turn to fall asleep when the Chief and Edward started swapping stock tips. Luckily, Edward banged his empty water bottle on Emmett's knee every time he started snoring.

"I don't think I'm going to make it," Emmett finally admitted after the third time that happened. "Maybe we can just come back tomorrow and talk to Jack then."

"No," Edward said emphatically. "It has to be tonight. We need to get this fixed now. I can't wait any longer."

Emmett rubbed his eyes at Edward's proclamation. There was no way he was going to be able to stay awake all night.

"Emmett, why don't you go ahead and sleep for a while? I'll wake you up in an hour and you can relieve Edward," Charlie said, tapping the steering wheel again.

That was all Emmett needed to hear. He rolled over, punched the arm rest a few times for good measure and promptly fell asleep.


End file.
